Tag Archives: God’s love

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What to do when your neighbor is dying 

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Our neighbor has died.

John had been sick for some time. I hadn’t seen him in almost a year, as cancer had weakened his body and trips outside the home had become few and far between.

One day I saw a number of cars in John’s driveway. His wife, Grace, met me in my front yard and let me know that hospice had moved in. She asked if I would like to say goodbye to John.

I was embarrassed.  I had often asked Grace about John when seeing her out in the yard. I had not, however, visited with John in a long time. I had prayed for him for a year- but I hadn’t prayed with him. I had failed him.

I went into the house and said a silent prayer for John as he slept peacefully. He died late that evening.

And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.  Ecclesiastes 12:7

I have since wondered about other neighbors in the same condition.  Not just those who are physically sick, but those who are spiritually troubled.

People with heavy hearts, tired souls and troubles that give them little hope.  Maybe it’s a bad relationship.  Perhaps depression.  Or maybe life has dealt them so many blows that it’s just hard to keep going.

These are our neighbors.  They need our engagement in their lives.  They need hope.

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  I Peter 5:10

I pray for a greater awareness for pain and struggles that others may be dealing with.  I pray that I can help a neighbor with their burden…and that someone might have the awareness to help me when I am struggling.

Please let me know how to pray for you.  God bless you.

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I’m the greatest…I think.

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I remember a situation that happened over twenty years ago.  My supervisor asked me to represent him at a state-wide meeting in Nashville.  I was just going over to take notes for him, but I was so honored to be asked to represent my office.  I was proud to be recognized for my work- and I felt as if this was a “reward” for my efforts at the office.

Imagine my surprise, however, when I was called upon to give remarks on behalf of my boss and the work of my office.  There I stood- in the middle of a crowded room- stammering and tripping over my words.  I was unprepared to make a talk that day and I left the meeting embarrassed and with a healthy dose of regret.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2

It was a great lesson for me (and a long ride back to Knoxville).

Has this ever happened to you?  We feel self-sufficient and overly confident in our ability to handle life.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.  Romans 12:3

We need a grounded approach to life.  We must continually examine our lives for shortcomings and ways to improve.  We all need a dose of humility every now and then.

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  Luke 14:11

My prayer for this week is for us to have humble hearts…and look for ways to lift others up.

Please let me know how I may pray for you.

God bless.

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When your kid hurts

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My kid is hurting.

We’ve spent the better part of two years trying to diagnose and treat a sports injury for one of our children.  It’s been a frustrating 24 months…with one treatment followed by another in an effort to alleviate a painful, nagging condition.  We’ve driven to sports medicine clinics all across the state in an effort to find a solution.

We should count our blessings.  While it’s been frustrating, the condition is treatable.  There are many other children facing much more serious situations than what our family is experiencing.

You know the feeling.  Perhaps it wasn’t a sports injury for your child- but there are many “hurts.”  Maybe they’ve experienced disappointment or rejection from a difficult situation at school. Perhaps your adult child has lost a job or experienced stress with their family.  Regardless of the age or situation- it’s tough to see your kids struggle.

We want to protect our children- to shower them with love and take the hurt away.  This response is natural.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

Just like we long to protect our children, God cares and wants what’s best for us- His children.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  Psalm 118:6

What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

While on this earth we will always long for comfort.  What a blessing that this help is unlimited and available to all.

Please pray for me to be more aware of those who need to be comforted. And let me know how I may pray for you.  God bless you.

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Daddies

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Some of my earliest memories involve my dad.  He was a really good high school coach in Crockett County.  I still remember sitting near him on the bench during hotly-contested basketball games…watching him plot plays, scheme defenses and berate referees. Those gyms were packed full of people- and dad’s bench seemed to be at the center of my small universe.

He taught me how to tie a lure, throw a spiral and change a car tire.  He showed me how to race go carts and went with me to buy an engagement ring for Hollianne.  I’m grateful that he’s now teaching my children some of those same lessons.

Sunday is the day we “officially” recognize our fathers.  I’m in a great place right now…as I can celebrate my relationship with dad, as well as experience a wonderful day with my kids.

For many people, however, Father’s Day can be painful.  Hollianne lost her father last Thanksgiving.  Mr. Tommy was a wonderful man…generous, loving and compassionate.

Tommy Holmes

His life and presence left a vault of good memories for his family, but his absence is painfully obvious this year.

Some of my friends never knew their father…or were abandoned as children.  This void can be a difficult one to fill.

We, however, have a heavenly Father that cares for us beyond imagination.

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Joshua 1:5

No matter what life throws at us- stress, illness, or disappointment- we have a Father who will be with us.

Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11

God has a plan for our lives.  While we cannot know what will happen tomorrow, we can rest assured that our Father will face tomorrow with us.

God’s uncompromising love.  Just think of it as the best Father’s Day gift ever.

Pray for me this week.  Let me know how I may pray for you.  God bless.

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Driving solo

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Our daughter, Carson, received her drivers license last week.  This was a milestone moment, similar to her first steps, the first day of kindergarten and beginning high school.

While Hollianne and I were anxious, Carson was confident.  She had studied and prepared for a year- completing a driver’s safety course, taking quizes on the basic mechanical functions of automobiles and dutifully driving Hollianne and me around Knoxville with her learner’s permit.

All that work was complete last Monday as she took the wheel for her first unassisted drive to school.  Only she wasn’t driving solo- she had months of preparation and new knowledge in her head to assist with her safe passage.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

I’ve learned a great deal from Carson throughout this process.  Just like her preparation for driving, I can equip myself with knowledge that can help me navigate life’s difficult moments.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

We don’t have to walk through life solo.  God is with us.  We have been given His inspired word- and what a blessing to have full access to all the lessons and instruction contained in the Bible.

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  Matthew 4:4

Everything we need to cope with hardships, learning about forgiveness and handling difficult situations is contained in those pages.

Reading.  Study.  Meditating on God’s word.  It’s an active process….an intentional pursuit.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105

We never have to drive through life alone.

God bless you- and let me know if I can pray for you.

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Be a rebel

Our high school football team, the West High Rebels, hosted the Maryville Rebels in a Thursday night match up. It was a festive sight, as Maryville is a perennial state championship contender and winner.  We aren’t too shabby ourselves.  All that being said, it was a colorful mixture of fans- students and adults dressed in blue, red and black.  All fans.  All Rebels.

Our daughter Carson is a sophomore at West High.  Because of her athletic involvement in soccer and basketball, we find ourselves at many of the West High athletic events.  My boys are especially fond of the football games.  So there we were last night- decked in our red and blue gear- watching our team try and upset the visiting Rebels from Maryville.

My youngest son, Britton, was talking about the Rebel mascots for both schools.  “What does it mean?”, he asked as we rode to the game.  I explained that rebels are generally known as people that go against the established order.  They are fighters, often in opposition to the government or other rules and established guidelines.  He asked if that was a good thing…as it sounded a bit devious to him.  I explained that- in the case of our West High Rebels- he could be assured that it meant our student athletes are strong and fierce…not afraid of anything.

It caused me to think about the approach to our fight against what’s wrong on this earth.  God calls us to be rebels….nonconformists.  We are to resist the pleasures and delights of this world.  I struggle with this concept, even though the message is clear.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”  We are to not settle on what the world offers.  It’s temporary fulfillment.  God asks us to transform ourselves to focus on delights of a spiritual nature.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.   I John 2:15-17

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

Being a christian rebel can cause trouble.  Be prepared.

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  John 15:18-19

What should you fear?  Nothing.  We’ve been given the promise of eternal protection and the hope of a heavenly reward.

Don’t be afraid to be a rebel.  God expects it from us.

God bless you.

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Election Day

“If I were President of the United States I would:  make some new laws, no drugs and no smoking, give soldiers medals, and make the world a better place.” Britton Carver- kindergarten (2011)

I am grateful for the opportunity to live in a democratic society.  It’s a blessing to be able to vote and participate in the election process.  Hollianne and I don’t take this for granted- and we stress the importance of voting to our kids.

As much as I enjoy the political process, I am happy that this election day has come and gone.  It was a particularly ugly campaign season in East Tennessee.  Negative ads littered our mailboxes, radio speakers and televisions.  Many candidates not only wanted to tell prospective voters about their credentials and accomplishments. but also went on the attack.  Anything to earn a vote, it seems.

Unlike this somewhat tough political realm, we are blessed to have already been elected.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.  John 15:16

Jesus elected to be persecuted and die on the cross to take away our sins.  His decision afforded us with the opportunity for the ultimate freedom.  Freedom to live with our Lord and Savior.

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.  2 Thessalonians 2:13

We have been elected.  It is our choice whether to accept this appointment or not.  Will we accept or reject this generous gift?

Behold I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.  Revelation 3:20

We have already been given the benefit of a win in the world’s greatest election event.  Jesus paid the ultimate price on that cross to give us victory.

Thank God.

 

 

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Soybeans, sunflowers and salvation: from dirt we came

I had breakfast in a soybean field this week.  I was in Milan, Tennessee to attend the celebrated Milan “No Till” agricultural festival.  Milan, by the way, is the hometown of two notable past Presidents of the University of Tennessee- Dr. Andy Holt and Eli Fly.  Not too shabby for a town with a population of 7,800 folks.

No Till is an farming method that doesn’t disturb the soil as much as traditional methods- among other things it allows great moisture retention. The event draws hundreds of people from across the state and region to witness advancements in agricultural technology and demonstrate the latest improvements in farming methods.

I attend many events like this each year- but this one is special.  It’s a celebration of an agricultural culture.  A celebration of the soil and the fruit, vegetables and crops that come forth from it.  It’s also a celebration of people- farmers and their families.  Good, hard-working, intelligent and honest folks.

Cycles are inevitable in agriculture.  There is a time, a season and a reason for everything.  Planning, planting, feeding and harvesting are all vitally important to the farming process.

And to me- this trip back home to West Tennessee was a reminder of the temporary nature of our own lives.  Our earthly bodies, like the plants of the field, aren’t built for immortality.  We know that God formed us from the dust of the ground.

…the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7

We are also reminded that our bodies will eventually return to the earth.

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.  Genesis 3:19

Our earthly life is a cycle.  We are born, grow, and work.  We age and eventually pass away.  But just as our friends lay great plans for their crops of the fields, our Heavenly Father has a plan for us.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16

Our time on earth is limited, but we have a purpose.  We need to be fruitful and work to realize God’s will for the cycle of our temporary, earthly life.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  Colossians 3:23

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  I Corinthians 10:31

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  Proverbs 16:3

Let’s make our limited days on earth productive and eventually experience the full blessing of the harvest.  God needs workers.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  Matthew 9:37-38

While crops take time to grow and harvest- our work with our neighbors (near and far) does not have a time table.  It is immediate.

It’s time for all of us to get our hands dirty.  We need to encourage one another to do good in order to glorify God’s most Holy name while on earth.

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it.  He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Matthew 13:21

Let’s hit the fields together.

God bless.

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